Burgees and toggles

[prv]

Nice burgee. Doesn't actually look as bad as they did in that previous photo. Looks like they've upped the quality since the earlier batch.

Nope, it's exactly the same. This is why I was so disappointed with all the people shrieking about how **** they were without ever having actually seen the thing. A single mobile-phone snap of a half-opened parcel is no basis to judge.

I haven't heard any complaints from anyone who's actually got one.

Pete

 

[Latestarter1]

When I was first at sea the junior deck apprentice always had the job of looking after the flags. First job with new flags was to carefully remove the toggles and form a loop with palm and needle whipping in the tail. Signal flags were fitted with Inglefield clips.

Reason for removing the toggles was that it would prevent the head of the flag going hard up against the truck at the masthead. The loop left by removing the toggle was attached to the halliard by a double sheet bend so the flag was always hard up to the top of the mast.

Many beautiful ships around in the mid 60's as this was the apex of ship design prior to the introduction of container ships. We arrived on the New Zealand coast, smart looking ship fresh out of dry dock and the phone never stopped ringing with local nurses home asking when we were having a party.

Then one day a Hamburg North American Line reefer came in, one of the new Cap boats, Cap San Lorenzo I think it was, ship was immaculate, all white with red boot top and red funnel top. Arrogant sods were playing German national anthem over the PA system and their flag protocol was spot on, under way their large ensign was flown on the yard, as soon as they had a line ashore the ensign on the yard was stuck and a smaller one run up on the stern. Needless to say telephone stopped ringing.

We soon found out that we were going to all the same discharge ports as the Germans. The ships agent was told to source the largest Red Ensign they could find and the sparkie was told to work out play music over the pa system. A package soon arrived from local chandlers, when it was unpacked it was a 9 yard ensign, 27 feet on the fly!

Our next port was Lyttleton and whilst we were still an hour from picking up the pilot skipper ordered that the ensign be flown from the yard, well this darn great ensign took the junior apprentice and lampie to hoist it as it was blowing a hoolie, halliards were bar tight and everybody was terrified that palm and needle work and knots were 100%.

Cap San Lorenzo was already docked on our arrival, Rule Britannia was a little scratchy over the PA, and we must have put on a good show, as soon as the telephone was connected the party invitations started to flow.

The 1960's was certainly an era of beautiful looking, well maintained and well managed ships.

 

[Dill et Bound]

I used to watch all the Union Castle line ships arriving in Southampton. from my Dads work at Calshot..
United States. France, Queen Mary Queen Elizabeth, Canberra, to name but a few of the others, Beautiful Ships.
The 60s were the end of an era for Sea Travel.

I had one of prv s Forum Burgees.. The quality is very good, and I fly mine all the time..Always gets comments when moored up..[Good] That is!!!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Nope, it's exactly the same. This is why I was so disappointed with all the people shrieking about how **** they were without ever having actually seen the thing. A single mobile-phone snap of a half-opened parcel is no basis to judge.

I must have bought 4 or 5 over the years from Haydn and they were always well made. I never noticed any particular changes either

 

[AndieMac]

?................... as soon as the telephone was connected the party invitations started to flow.

Those antipodean nurses never stood a chance LS

 

[Cardo]

Nope, it's exactly the same. This is why I was so disappointed with all the people shrieking about how **** they were without ever having actually seen the thing. A single mobile-phone snap of a half-opened parcel is no basis to judge.

I haven't heard any complaints from anyone who's actually got one.

Pete

Ah, my apologies, in that case. I got the wrong impression from that earlier photo where the quality, to be frank, looked pretty naff. However, seeing a later photo and Henry's one up there, you can tell it's actually pretty decent. Whilst it's made in a different way to Haydn's burgees, the thicker design seems to make the image stand out better. I've always found I had to squint up at ours flying from the signal halyard to see the picture, and I have good eyesight!

 

[henryf]

The new and old mouse burgees are different rather than better / worse.

The original design had the logo embroidered on which was more accurate and delicate. The downside is that the logo is harder to read at a distance, the lines are thinner.

The new design has fabric between 2 lines of stitching and so a bolder, more distinctive logo but at the expense of close up accuracy.

At the moment we are going down the route of an embroidered design again as per the original to keep it as true to the original as possible as this is the impression I got as to what people wanted. As has been said already to criticise the "new" mouse design is a little unfair. Without it we might not be having this discussion and the design would have been lost all together.



Henry

 

[Latestarter1]

Those antipodean nurses never stood a chance LS

On a slightly serious note so many men had been lost in the Pacific conflict population was still unbalanced in the 60's, signing on a crew if you were bound for Australia/New Zealand was never a problem. If your ship was registered in Liverpool there was added bonus, it was assumed everybody on board must be related to the The Beatles.

Situation was so bad in New Zealand that there were insufficient wharfies to work all the ships docked leading to slow turn round. Crew were employed on day work scrubbing painting and sometimes forming gangs to help unload other ships which put extra ££ in their pockets which was all spent ashore. No wonder so many skinned out.

Downside, the six o'clock swill, ending in some Australian States in the 60's but still major part of life in New Zealand and Tasmania I think. I have never seen so much ice cold beer sold in such a short time!

 

[AndieMac]

...........Downside, the six o'clock swill, ending in some Australian States in the 60's but still major part of life in New Zealand and Tasmania I think. I have never seen so much ice cold beer sold in such a short time!

They still show tv footage occasionally of the "dark days" of the six o'clock swill, with patrons lining up at the bar at five to six, ordering half a dozen schooners of beer each.

Nearly as bad as the prohibition era.....